BASILICA OF SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS: THE LARGEST IN ASIA
Taal
has always been associated to the lake and the smallest volcano. Underrated and unknown to some, there is a
small heritage town in Batangas which harbors the largest Catholic church in
Asia.
On
board a tricycle from Lemery, Batangas (PhP10.00 fare/head), we passed by a
concrete narrow path of aligned colonial houses and from a distance, an
imposing landmark peeks through a canopy of trees. Situated atop a hill, the landmark is named
after the town’s patron saint, Saint Martin de Tours, abridged as Taal
Basilica.
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| THE MARKER AND A PEEK TO THE CHURCH |
Walking
through the town of Taal, we reached
the church and climbed a few concrete steps.
Immediately, we glanced in astonishment at the grand façade of the Taal Basilica. It resembles the St. Peter’s Basilica in
Rome.
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| THE CONCRETE STEPS |
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| FIRST GLANCE OFF THE BASILICA |
Apart
from its façade and size, the church is likewise known for another large item -
a bell. Commonly referred to as the
“king of the bell”, the massive instrument is 19 feet (5.8m) in circumference
at the lip, 9.33 feet (2.84 m) around the crown and 6.42 feet (1.96m) in
height. The huge bell necessarily
imposes itself as part of the landscape as it is positioned at the front of the
church. I am actually uncertain if this
is a replica or the actual bell that fell from the belfry on account of the
1942 earthquake.
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| THE KING OF THE BELL |
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| THE SILVER TABERNACLE |
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| IMAGE OF ST. MARTIN OF TOURS |
The
nave as complemented by its high ceiling and intricate hand paintings as
ornaments even more enhanced the beauty of the church. Main attraction as well (if attraction it
could be said) is the silver tabernacle, said to be the only one of its kind in
the country.
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| THE NAVE |
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| HAND-PAINTED CEILINGS |
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| THE CHURCH INTERIORS |
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| CANDLES LIT FOR PRAYER |
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| THE VARIED SAINTS |
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| THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHURCH |
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| INTERIOR DESIGN AT THE ENTRANCE |
Tall
Basilica is likewise surrounded by a Taal Cultural Center housed of a colonial
architecture and a park, where its imposing signage is prominently displayed at
the foreground. The Municipal Hall of
Taal is likewise right across the church.
The typical rural setting during the Spanish colonial times is what you
envision while at the said vicinity.
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| AT THE FOREGROUND |
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| TAAL CULTURAL CENTER |
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| THE MUNICIPAL HALL |
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| THE CHURCH FACADE |
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| Photo by: Edgar |
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